Automatic metal casting machine



' AUTOMATIC METAL CASTING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 12 1957 'rpwzs-rwoon AUTOMATIC METAL CASTING MACHINE 4, Sheets-Shee t 2 Filed March 2, 1953 Zz'zvezzwn Tlfestwo od/ F. 12, 1957 T. WESTWOOD" I 2,730,355

AUTOMATIC METAL CASTING MACHINE :Filed March 2, 1953 4 sneets-sn et 3 Feb 12, 1957 w s woo 2,780,85 AUTOMATIC METAL CASTING MACHINE J Filed March 2, 1953 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 AUTGh/EATHC METAL CASTING MACHINE Thomas Westwood, Northfield, Birmingham, England,

assignor to .loseph'Lucas (lndustries)Limited, Birmingham, England Application March 2, 1953, Serial No. 339,826

Claims priority, application Great Britain March 10, 1952 7 Claims. (Cl. 29--2) This invention has for its object to provide in a simple form an automatic machine for casting metal articles, and more particularly for casting the plate grids of elec tricity storage batteries.

The invention comprises the combination with a body part, of a mould, atrimming means for the casting produced in the mould, and a: waste ejector mounted at successive positions. on the body part, and an endless conveyor movable between the said positions, the conveyor having combined therewith. means adapted to be embedded in the casting andttoa nchor the casting to the conveyor.

In the accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings:

Figure 1 is a part sectional sideelevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention for casting the grid plates of electricity storage batteries.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machinelooking from the left inFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a-fragmentary side elevation of the machine looking from the right in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing, to a larger scale than Figures 1 to 3, a clutch and associated parts incorporated in the machine.

Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 40f anotherclutch and associated parts incorporated in. the machine.

Figure 6 is a side view illustrating, to a larger scale than the other figures, one of the grid plates cast by the machine.

In carrying the invention into effect as shown in the drawings, there is provided a hollow body part 2 of rectangular or any other, convenient form. Within, and at one side of, the body-part 2 ismountedatwo-part mould in which grid plates for electricity storage batteries can be cast, one of the mould parts being indicated by 3, and being movable relatively to the other mould part 4 for opening and closing the mould. During this movement the mould part 3, or a member carrying this mould part, slides on fixed horizontal. guide rods 5.,

For intermittently opening, and. closing the mould. 3, 4 a horizontally movable slide 6 is carried by any convenient support 7 in the body part 2, and is. connected by a rod 8 to the movable mould part 3, or the; member carrying this mould part. The slide 6 is movable in the direc tion for openingthe mould 3, 4 by a cam 9 which cooperates with a roller 10 on the slide, and in the direction for closing the mould by a second cam. 11 which cooperates with another, roller 12 on the side. The two cams 9, 11 are secured on a transverse shaft 13which ismounted in the body part 2, and to, which motion, can be imparted by an electric motor 14 on the upper end of the body part. For this purpose the motor 14 is connected by a belt-and-pulley mechanism 15 to the input shaft 16 of gearing (not shown) in a gear box 17 on the. upper end of the body part 2, and the output shaft 18 of this gearing is connected by chain-and-sprocket mechanism 19 to another shaft 20 which in turn in connected by additional nited States Patent 2v chain-and-sprocket mechanism 21 and gearing 21 to the cam shaft 13.

At a position adjacent to the upper end of the mould 3, 4 there is pivotally mounted on the body'part 2 a ladle 23 to which molten metal can be supplied from a pot (not shown). For intermittently imparting angular move ment to the ladle 23, and thereby enabling it to deliver molten metal to the mould 3, 4, a rotary crank disc 24 is employed. This crank disc is connected to the ladle 23 by a connecting rod 25, and is secured to the spindle 26 of an actuating gear wheel 27. At a position adjacent to this gear wheel there is mounted on the body part 2 a rotary shaft 28 which is adapted to receive continuous motion from the shaft 20 through the medium of chainand-sprocket mechanism 29, and on which is secured a disc 30 having a plurality of teeth 31 around a part of its periphery, the remaining and greater part of the disc periphery being plain. The teeth 31 on the disc 30 are adapted to engage and impart rotational movement to the gear wheel 27 during a part of each rotation of the disc, and thereby cause rotational movements to be intermittenty imparted to the crank disc 24 for actuating the ladle 23.

Carried by the body part 2, at the side remote from the mould 3, 4, are tools 32, 33 for trimming the castings produced in the mould. Each such casting, upon leaving the mould, has the form of a grid plate surrounded by a frame of waste metal, and the trimming tools32, 33 are adapted to sever the grid plate from the frame of waste metal, and to transfer the detached grid plate to a correspondingly shaped discharge passage 34in a transverse support 35 on the body part 2. The tool 32 is secured to the support 35 and is formed with an aperture 36 corresponding in shape to and registering with the passage 34 in the support. The other tool 33 is carried by a holder 37 which is slidably supported by horizontal guides 38 in the body part 2, and which is movable towards and away from the fixed tool 32 by an eccentric 39 on an intermittently rotatable shaft 40 mounted in the body part, the eccentric being connected to the movable tool holder by a link 41 having a spherical or other pivotal connection with the holder. The movable tool- 33 has the form of a plunger which at its operative end corresponds in shape to and is adapted to enter the aperture 36 in the fixed tool 32.

The shaft 40 of the eccentric 39 is adapted to receive intermittent rotation from a second electric motor 42 through the medium of the intermittently operated clutch shown in Figure 5. This clutch comprises a rotatable sleeve 43 which is mounted on and capable of rotation relatively to the shaft 49, and on which is secured a gear wheel 44, the latter being connected to the second electric motor 42 by another gear wheel 45 and belt-and-pulley mechanism 46. As shown the gear Wheel 45 is secured on a shaft 45 which also carries a flywheel 45 In the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 40 is formed a longitudinal groove 47", and in the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 43 is formed a similar longitudinal groove 48. The groove 47 in the shaft 40 serves to support a cylindrical key 49 which is capable of angular movement about its longitudinal axis, and which over a part corresponding in length to the sleeve 43 is cut away at one side as shown, this part of the key being herein termed the operative part thereof.

When the operative part of the key 4? occupies parts of both grooves 47, 43 it serves to interconnect the sleeve 43 and the shaft 40, and the latter is then rotatable by the second electric motor 42. But when the key 49 is turned about its longitudinal axis to a position in which the sleeve groove 48 is unoccupied by the operative part of. the key, the sleevea-is rotatable relatively to the shaft 40. To ensure that, in this condition of the key, 49, the

shaft 40 is held stationary, any convenient constantly acting brake may be arranged to co-operate with the shaft. In the example Shown this brake consists of a pair of shoes 50 which are pivotally interconnected by a stationary pin 51, and which exert braking pressure on an enlargement 52 of the shaft 40 under the action of a spring 53, the braking pressure being insutficient to interfere with rotational movement of the shaft 40 when the latter is connected by the key 49 to the sleeve 43.

At one end the key 49 has formed or secured thereon a radial arm 54, and to the outer end of this arm is attached a spring 55 which tends to move the key into its operative position for interconnecting the shaft 40 and sleeve 43. Also there is formed on or secured to the other end of the key 49 a second radial arm 56, and at a position adjacent to this arm there is mounted on a fixed axis a double-armed lever 57 which is movable into and out of a service position in which one of its ends can serve by contact with the outer end of the second radial arm to cause the key to assume an inoperative position after the key has been carried around with the shaft 40 whilst connecting the latter to the sleeve 43. After the lever 57 is moved out of its service position, the spring 55 moves the key 49 into its operative position in which it connects the shaft 40 to the sleeve 43, whereupon the shaft 40 as well as the key are carried around with the sleeve until the latter has completed a single revolution. Then the second radial arm 56 again comes into contact with the above mentioned end of the lever 57 which in the meantime has been returned to its service position, and the key 49 is caused to re-assume its inoperative position until the lever is again moved out of its service position.

The lever 57 is loaded at one end by a spring 58 which tends to move the lever to its out-of-service position clear of the radial arm 56 on the key 49. Near the other end of the lever 57 there is secured on a rotary shaft 59 a disc 60 having a notch 61 in its periphery. Also there is provided on the lever 57 a tooth-like projection 62 which can ride on the periphery of the disc 60, and which can enter the notch 61 when the disc assumes an appropriate position. The shaft 59 carrying the disc 60 is adapted to receive motion from the cam shaft 13 (Figure 1) through the medium of chain-and-sprocket mechanism 63. When the key 49 is held in its inoperative position by contact of one end of the lever 57 with the radial arm 56, the projection 62 on this lever rides on the uninterrupted peripheral portion of the disc 60. Upon this disc reaching an appropriate position the projection 62 enters the notch 61 in the disc periphery, and the lever 57 is moved by its loading spring 58 into an out-of-service position for enabling the key 49 to interconnect the shaft 40 and sleeve 43 under the action of the spring 55. The key 49 is now carried around with the shaft 40, and the notch 61 in the periphery of the disc 60 is moved clear of the projection 62 on the lever 57. Consequently, the projection 62 again rides on the uninterrupted peripheral portion of the disc 60, and holds the lever 57 in its service position for moving the key 69 to its inoperative position after the shaft 40 has completed a single revolution.

On the same side of the body part 2 as the trimming tools 32, 33, and at a position below the latter, is mounted an ejector for the waste metal from which the grid plates have been severed as above described. This ejector comprises a pair of radial ejector arms 64 on a transversely arranged oscillatory bar 65, the latter being mounted on the support 7 which carries the mould-opening and -closing slide 6 above described, and being connected by a lever arm 66 to the slide, so that when the slide is moved in the direction for closing the mould 3, 4, the ejector arms are actuated for ejecting the waste metal as hereinafter described. The ejector arms 64 may have clawlike outer ends for engaging the waste metal.

For carrying the metal castings from the mould 3, 4 to the trimming tools 32, 33, and the waste metal to the ejecting position, an endless conveyor is employed. This conveyor comprises a pair of endless chains 67 arranged parallel with each other and carried by suitably arranged sprockets. In the example shown six pairs of such sprockets are employed, the sprockets forming four of these pairs being indicated by 68, and being of larger diameter than those forming the other two pairs which are indicated by 69. The larger sprockets 68 are situated within the endless chains 67, and the smaller sprockets 69 are situated outside the chains. Moreover, one of the pairs of smaller sprockets 69 is situated between two of the pairs of larger sprockets 68 in the upper end of the body part 2, whilst the other pair of smaller sprockets is situated between the other two pairs of the larger sprockets in the lower end of the body part.

The larger sprockets 68 are individually supported by bearings 70 situated at the outer sides of these sprockets so as to leave an unobstructed space between each pair. The lower pair of smaller sprockets 69 are likewise supported by bearings 71, but the upper pair of smaller sprockets are adapted to impart intermittent motion to the endless chains 67, and for this purpose are secured on a transverse shaft 72 which is rotatably supported in the body part 2, and to which intermittent rotational movements can be imparted by the electric motor 14 through the medium of the intermittently operated clutch shown in Figure 4. This clutch comprises an inner sleeve 73 secured on the shaft 72, and an outer sleeve 74 rotatable on the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve being connected by chain-and-sprocket mechanism 75 to the shaft 28 for enabling continuous motion to be imparted to the outer sleeve from the electric motor 14. In the outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 73 is formed a longitudinal groove 76, and in the inner peripheral surface of the outer sleeve 74 is formed a similar longitudinal groove 77. The groove 76 in the inner sleeve 73 serves to support a cylindrical key 78 which is capable of angular movement about its longitudinal axis, and which over a part corresponding in length to the outer sleeve 74 is cut away at one side as shown, this part of the key being herein termed the operative part thereof. When the operative part of the key 78 occupies parts of both grooves 76, 77 it serves to interconnect the two sleeves 73, 74, and the shaft 72 carrying the upper pair of sprockets 69 is then rotatable by the electric motor 14. But when the key 78 is turned about its longitudinal axis to a position in which the groove 77 in the outer sleeve 74 is unoccupied by the operative part of the key, the outer sleeve is rotatable relatively to the inner sleeve 73, and the latter together with the chain-driving shaft 72 remains stationary. At one end the key 78 has secured thereto a bell-crank lever 80, and to one end of this lever is attached a spring 81 which tends to move the key into its operative position for interconnecting the two sleeves 73, 74. At a position adjacent to these sleeves there is mounted a stationary housing 82, and in this housing is pivoted a second lever 83 which is movable into and out of a service position in which its outer end can serve by contact with the free end of the bell-crank lever 80 to cause the key 78 to assume an inoperative position after the key has been carried around with the shaft 72 whilst interconnecting the sleeves 73, 74. After the second lever 83 is moved out of its operative position the spring 81 moves the key 78 into its operative position in which it interconnects the two sleeves 73, 74, whereupon the key is carried around with these sleeves and the shaft 72 until they have completed a single revolution. Then the free end of the lever 80 again comes into contact with the outer end of the second lever 83 which in the meantime has been returned to its service position, and the key 78 is caused to re-assume its inoperative position until the second lever is again moved out of its service position.

The seeondlever 83 is loaded by a spring 85 which tends to move this lever to its out-of-service position clear of the bell-crank lever 80. Adjacent to the second lever 83 there is mounted in the housing 82 a rotary shaft 86 on which is secured a disc 87 having a notch 88 in its periphery. Also there is formed on the second lever 83 a tooth-like projection 89 which can ride on the periphery of the disc 87, and which can enter the notch 83 when the disc assumes an appropriate position. The shaft 86 carrying the disc 87 is adapted to receive continuous motion from the outer sleeve 74 of the last mentioned clutch through the medium of gearing 90. When the key 78 is heldin its inoperativeposition by the second lever 83, the projection 89-011 this lever rides on the uninterrupted peripheral portion of the disc 87. Upon this disc reaching an appropriate position the projection 89 enters the notch 88 in the disc periphery, and the second lever 83 is moved by its loading spring 85 into-an out-ofservice position for enabling the key 78 to interconnect the sleeves 73, 74 under the action of the spring 81. The key 78 is now carried around with the shaft 72, and the notch 83 in the periphery of the disc 87 is moved clear of the projection 89 on the second lever 83. Consequently, the projection 89 again rides on the uninterrupted peripheral portion of the disc 87, and holds the lever 83 in its service position for moving the key 78 to its inoperative position after the shaft '72 has completed a single revolution. Pegs or other stops 92 on a plate 593 secured to the shaft 72 serve by contact with the bell crank lever 80 to determine the operative and inoperative positions of the key '78.

The endless chains 67 are interconnected by transverse horizontal bars 94 on each of which are formed or secured depending arms or fangs 95 adapted to be embedded in the castings formed in the mould 3, 4, and to carry the castings away from the mould in the manner illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 in which the castings are indicated by 96. As previously mentioned the castings include frames of waste metal from which the required grid plates are severed by the trimming tools 32, 33. These waste metal frames are clearly shown in Figure 2 and indicated by 97. The final form of the castings is illustrated by Figure 6.

All the various movements of the machine above described are suitably co-ordinated, and each cycle of operations is performed in the following manner.

tarting with one of the fanged bars 94 on the con veyor situated immediately above the mould 3, 4 with its fangs 95 extending into the upper end of the mould, the latter is first closed by the slide 6, and the ladle 23 is then tilted. During the closing of the mould 3, 4 the above mentioned fanged bar 94 is engaged by a forked or notched positioning piece 98 on the movable mould part 3, or on the member carrying this mould part. Also, spring loaded plungers 99 carried by the two mould parts 3, 4 act on opposite sides of two of the fangs 95 extending into the mould. After being charged with molten metal, the mould 3, 4 is re-opened, and the conveyor moves forward and removes the casting from the mould, the casting being carried by the fangs 95 which previously extended into the mould, and which are now embedded in the waste metal surrounding the casting. The conveyor now carries the casting tothe trimming position under the control of the clutch shown in Figure 4. During the initial part of the movement of the trimming tool holder 37 towards the casting, the fanged bar 94 carrying the casting is engaged by a forked or notched positioning piece 98' on the upper side of the movable tool holder, and the casting is pressed against the fixed tool 32 by a spring-loaded frame 100 on the adjacent end of the movable tool holder, this frame being shaped to bear on the waste metal frame around the casting, and to leave free the grid plate formed by the main portion of the casting. Thereafter the movable tool 33 severs the grid portion of the casting from the surrounding waste metal and transfers the grid plate to the discharge passage 34- where it acts on other grid plates severed from previous castings and pushes them towards the discharge end of the passage. Upon the movable tool holder 37 being retracted the Waste metal frame from which the grid plate has been severed is moved. by the conveyor to the ejecting positionwhere the ejector arms 64 act on the upper side of the waste metal frame and separate it from the fangs embedded in it, so that the Waste metal frame can fall away from the conveyor. The fanged bar 94 from which the waste metal has been separated is then moved by the conveyor to its initial position for repetitionof the above described cycle. Meanwhile a similar cycle is performed when each of the other fanged bars 94 is carried by the conveyor to the mould and thence to the trimming and Waste ejecting positions.

It will be understood that when the slide 6 moves in the direction for closing the mould 3, 4, it also actuates the ejector arms 64.

While the invention is primarily intended for the casting of battery grid plates, it may be employed in essentially the same manner for producing castings for other purposes. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the example above described as subordinate details of construction and arrangement may be varied to suit different requirements. Thus, instead of electric motors any other suitable sources of motion may be employed. Also, instead of being cam-operated, the movable part of the mould may be actuated by any other suitable mechanism, such as fluid-operated mechanism. Likewise the movable trimming tool may be actuated by camor fluidoperated mechanism.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic metal casting machine comprising in combination with a supporting body part, a mould having relatively movable parts, trimming means for castings produced in the mould, an ejector for waste material from the trimming means, the ejector and trimming means being spaced from each other and from the mould, a first mechanism for simultaneously efiecting relative movement of the mould parts and actuating the ejector, a second mechanism for actuating the trimming means, means operable by the first mechanism for controlling the action of the second mechanism on the trimming means, an endless conveyor for moving the castings from the mould to the trimming means, and the waste material from the trimming means to the ejector, and means operatively associated with the first mechanism for imparting intermittent motion to the conveyor, the latter having thereon means capable of being embedded in the castings to anchor them to the conveyor.

2. An automatic metal casting machine comprising in combination with a supporting body part, a mould having relatively movable parts, trimming means for castings produced in the mould, an ejector for waste material from the trimming means, the ejector and trimming mean-s being spaced from each other and from the mould, a first mechanism for simultaneously effecting relative movement of the mould parts and actuating the ejector, a ladle for charging the mould With molten metal, a first source of motion operatively connected to the first mechanism and the ladle, a second mechanism for actuating the trimming means, a second source of motion operatively connected to the second mechanism, means operable by the first mechanism for controlling the action of the second mechanism on the trimming means, an endless conveyor for moving the castings from the mould to the trimming means, and the waste material from the trimming means to the ejector, and means operatively associated With the first mechanism for imparting motion to the conveyor, the latter having thereon means capable of being embedded in the castings to anchor them to the conveyor.

3. An automatic metal casting machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the conveyor comprises in combination a pair of endless chains, transverse bars interconnecting the chains, pairs of sprockets engaging the chains, and means for intermittently connecting one pair of the sprockets to the first source of motion, the transverse bars being provided with depending members adapted to be embedded in the castings produced in the mould, and to anchor the castings to the conveyor.

4. An automatic metal casting machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the first mechanism comprises in combination a slide for opening and closing the mould, and for actuating the waste ejector, and cam means operable by the first source of motion for imparting movements in opposite directions to the slide.

5. An automatic metal casting machine as claimed in claim 2 and having in combination an actuating crank mechanism connected to the ladle, and means for imparting intermittent motion to the crank mechanism from the first source of motion.

6. An automatic metal casting machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the trimming means comprises a fixed tool and a movable tool, and in which the second mechanism comprises means including an automatically operable clutch for imparting intermittent motion to the movable tool from the second source of motion.

7. An automatic metal casting machine as claimed in claim 4, in which the waste ejector comprises a pair of ejector arms, an oscillatory bar carrying the ejector arms, and a lever arm through which the oscillatory bar is connected to the slide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,932 Henry et al. Mar. 20, 1934 2,028,790 Lund Jan. 28, 1936 2,200,886 Kuhn May 14, 1940 2,227,872 Willard Jan. 7, 1941 2,277,234 Kerns Mar. 24, 1942 2,638,982 Winkel May 19, 1953 

